House H(a)unting

My sister made a surprise visit last Sunday. I was really glad to see her, but my initial reaction was anything but cheerful since I was still sleeping when she rang the bell.

I had no clue as to why she passed by. We talk regularly on the phone, but we seldom see each other because her place is a good 2-hour bus ride from mine. When I jokingly asked her if she was in the neighborhood to distribute Thanksgiving invitations, she just raised an eyebrow and told me that she was actually in town to look for a new home.

There’s a small unit a few blocks from mine that has been begging to be bought for over a year now. The vendor claims to be the son of the house’s previous tenant who died a year ago in Pennsylvania.

I haven’t seen that neighbor of mine for around 2 years already. I guess he really did pass away. Some of my neighbors are a bit skeptical, though. They suspect that the vendor is just trying to con his father. I haven’t told my sister yet about that house. I’m thinking of running a vital records search on the previous owner first, particularly for death records or files, before prodding her to seriously consider buying the unit.